No One Wants to Stay in the Underworld
by JoyceCLynn
Summary: Emily just wanted to watch Netflix and get her house cleaned. She never wanted to end up in the Underworld. Hades/OC. Short story.
1. Chapter 1

This is going to be an insanely short real world oc drops into fictional world story. I'm thinking likely no longer than another two chapters. The idea poppedl into my head because Hades makes way too many pop-culture/not-so-ancient references in the movie. (Disclaimer: I do not own any Disney associated characters and make no profit from this work.)

—

A blonde haired woman plopped onto the grey carpeted ground of her living room floor, opened the Netflix app on her television set, and put on Hercules. She ran about the house doing chores and the like as the sound played in the background. She wanted to clean and bring her house back into some semblance of order. The television turned off midway through vacuuming. Emily groaned and moved into the room to turn the television back on and returned to her chores.

She grabbed her phone to check her text messages and social media accounts, hurriedly scrolling through inane post after the other. Emily sighed looking casually at the movie. The goat scene was getting boring. She grabbed her cordless headphones to listen to a song as she started on the stacked dishes in her sink.

The television went black again. This time she was prepared and used the remote in her hand to point at the television and restore the movie to the screen. The movie was back at the beginning and now the screen was glowing blue and humming dully. "Shit. Did I break it?" Emily held her breath as she approached the monitor.

She tapped at the glass and lurched away as a spark flew from the screen. "Shit. Definitely broke it." She sighed and was about to unplug the device when the screen started to spark and glow more viciously. Her first instincts were to try to yank the plug out from the socket, but in her rush her hand pressed against the glass and through the screen into something damp.

She blinked and gasped as she lost balance and fell through her T.V. set. She was no longer in her home. She looked around. The terrain surrounding her was desolate. Everything around her looked bleak. Where the fuck was she?

Her next thoughts were a logical retracing of her previous steps. She was in her living room when her television started malfunctioning. Now, she was elsewhere and that elsewhere was damp and dark. She was no longer indoors and there was no one else nearby. "Where the fuck am I?"

She tried to reason away the ominous feelings until she turned around and noticed a large skull shaped building looming on the horizon. She recognized the building immediately. It was not possible. Then she came to the most important realization. She was either dreaming or was currently unconscious in her living room from the inhalation of the fumes coming from her spastic television set. She blithely hoped she did not wake up with brain damage.

She noticed the river below and jumped back from the shore line. There were bodies floating and moving alongside the river's current. The bodies were bloated and their skin sagged against bone. "Oh god."

Then she heard a noise like a splash. She looked across the river and saw a man in a boat slowly rowing towards her. She did not know why she bothered to conceal her presence amongst an outcropping of rocks along the sides of the river. This was her dream. There was no reason to be afraid. However, as the thin man in the boat came closer, her self-preservation instincts buzzed. She shivered as she realized the man was a skeleton. He surveyed the entire shoreline before exiting the boat.

He paced across the shore and each time he changed directions he walked closer to her position. Emily felt her heart race. His bones scraped together each time he moved. The movements sounded like pieces of chalk rubbing against a blackboard. He was going to find her if he paced any closer to her hiding spot.

Then the skeleton man stopped pacing and settled against a rock and stared at the horizon. She paused and looked carefully at the oar he had placed at his side and the tethered boat bobbing in the water. She wondered how she was going to get across the river without his notice. She stayed still barely breathing for a great while until she heard a loud gurgling sound come from the skeleton man. Emily's eyes widened.

The skeleton was snoring. She wondered if he was asleep. He had only empty black sockets instead of eyelids so she was unable to say for certain whether or not he was asleep. However, since the events so far were clearly just the creation of a dream, she decided to act boldly. She tiptoed out of her hiding crevice and slowly moved towards the bone man. She reached first for his oar and picked up the solid wooden object as soundlessly as possible. The item was absurdly unwieldy to carry but with cautious steps she managed. Then she crouched awkwardly holding the oar horizontally at her side to unhitch the boat from its tether. She barely had time to react as the boat immediately began moving with the flow of the water.

Emily rushed forward and pulled herself into the boat. She felt a hand grab at her ankle and looked down to see a crying woman with her translucent arms wrapped firmly against the heel of Emily's shoe. Emily nearly screamed but stifled the sound by biting her lip. She reached for the oar and attempted to bat away the spirit but was shocked when the oar went through the spirit's head. The grip grew tighter until a dull pain flared in her ankle. Emily gasped and kicked off her sneaker allowing the shoe to plop into the river along with the ghoul. "Just row the boat and do not touch the water." She muttered the words in a whispered mantra.

She grinned when the boat touched the shore until she heard the sound of scrambling feet and panicked voices.

"Boss! Boss!" A pink round figure rushed down the stairs, tumbling down half of the steps. The other teal taller figure scrambled up and down the steps at a frenzied pace as if uncertain of which direction to head towards.

Emily did not know why she went to hide behind the staircase or why she threw the oar into the water in her rush to hide. She was just glad she was quick enough to avoid being seen.

"Boss?" The short creatures questioned in unison looking at the boat with suspicion. "Charon's not here but his oar is." The teal creature was the first to hop into the boat and attempt to retrieve the floating oar while the pink creature batted away the hands of the dead souls clinging hopelessly to the oar.

"Bet he fell asleep on the job again." The pink creature loused.

"We better get the boat back. If boss can't cross he'll be cross." The teal creature began to manically chew at his claws.

Emily looked at the creatures carefully, unable to remember their names. She hoped they started rowing the boat in the other direction soon as her muscles were starting to ache from standing still in a crouched position for far longer than she would expect her dream to demand.

Finally, the creatures started to row the boat back in the direction she had come. The teal creature stood on the shoulders of the pink circular one with the oar held in both their tiny claws.

Emily stood, stretching her arms and legs straight, snapping several joints out from their stiff position. She immediately raced up the staircase hoping to reach the top before anyone noticed her climbing the stairway to Hades's personal gothic cathedral. She felt winded after the first two rungs of the stairwell and could feel her calf muscles twitching on the fifth rung. After trying to run up thirteen flights of stairs she could barely walk as she entered the top floor. She entered a room that likely served as the skull cavity portion of the building she had viewed from shore. At least now she could look out through the eyeholes of the building.

She decided her best option in her current situation was to wait until she could see Hades on his way into the Underworld through the river. Then she'd need to find a place to hide. She felt nervous opening any doors in the spooky palace, but she would need to hide somewhere that was not inside Hades's war room.

—

"The Fates are coming! You can't sleep on the job." Panic hopped from the boat in a teal blur and immediately landed on Charon only to shake the bone man awake.

"So, look alive lazybones." Pain grabbed the oar and rapped the wood against Charon's white skull.

Charon rubbed his head saying nothing. He stood and held his hand out for the oar. He rapped both the creatures against the head in quick succession before calmly walking towards his boat, wading through the waters and stepping back into the craft.

Pain and Panic rubbed their now tender skulls and began to hiss at Charon.

"Enough squabbling. We are here to see Hades." Three women wearing black cloaks approached Charon. Their flesh was mottled with decay and rot. In the hands of the shortest of the women was an eye. Charon said nothing and pulled the boat fully onto the sand and gestured for the women to come aboard. After the women entered the craft, Charon began to row away from the shoreline.

"Wait. Don't leave us! We are supposed to escort them up!" Pain and Panic rushed to hop into the boat and barely avoided the souls clinging to the river's waters.

—-

Emily groaned as she looked through the eyeholes of the building to see that the boat was back on the water and fast approaching. "Ok. Need to find a hiding place now." She groaned as she passed a black door elaborately decorated with the Greek key, etched inscriptions, and carvings of what she thought looked suspiciously like Hades. Although it was hard to tell as the picture had no real detail besides a general outline of the villain.

"If I go in there and he catches me, dream-me is going to die." She could hear the sounds of voices coming closer. She was surprised they had gotten up the staircase so quickly, but their approach made her decision easy. She pulled the door open without hesitation and closed the door just as quick.

The room was simply decorated. While the bed frame was carved from marble, the bed itself was dressed with simple charcoal grey covers and several furs. The surrounding area was open and sparsely furnished. Inside the space was a desk stacked high with papers. On the sides of the marble bed weere two empty bedside tables. A lounging couch sat on the outskirts of the room against a grey wall. The couch was decorated with many stacked black pillows. A locked trunk was placed at foot of the bed. There was a changing screen blocking off an adjoining room. Inside there were several chitons of exactly the same make and dark color as Hades's own chiton. On the shelves of the closet were glass cases of neat rows of jewled brooches. Most of the pins were shaped like skulls, but some were obscenely detailed, etched in gold, and garnished with rubies and emeralds. In the back of the closet, perched on an ottoman, sat a black helmet covered with dust. The dull black helmet looked out of place in the presence of the other glistening pieces.

She decided to sit in the closet and listen for Hades to pass by the room. The guy liked to talk, so the odds were in her favor she would hear him pass by the room before he entered his room or went into the war room. She would eventually need to switch her hiding place and move under the bed as he would likely need to change his robes at some point in the day.

After what felt like hours, Emily heard an angry voice pass through the heavy door.

"I told you to let me know." Hades paused trying to calm his temper. "The second." His body flared with uncontrollable flames which burned red across his body. He breathed in short huffs looking at his terrified minions. "The fates get here. You know they don't stay in one place for very long."

"If they are not here because you imps made them wait too long I am going to roast you on a spit." Hades controlled his temper and made the threat under his breath. He needed to keep the Fates happy so he could get the future hag to tell him the odds on his plans. If the Fates sat waiting too long they got cranky. Cranky Fates would tell him bupkiss.

"What's a spit boss?" The pink minion raised his hand to tug at his master's robe.

In Hades's hands a blue fire ball formed. "Run. Just run." He needed to get these idiots away from him before he lost his temper around the Fates and killed their already tenuous deal.

—

Emily pulled herself out the closet and underneath the bed. She had grabbed one of the pillows from the lounge couch to carry under with her. She was not going to sit around in her dream uncomfortably and decided Hades was not going to miss one of his many pillows. There were at least nine pillows stacked on the couch, so she doubted he would notice.

She fell asleep under his bed and thought it was strange to sleep during a dream but did not linger on the thought as she could hear Hades's voice from inside the room.

"An eighteen year plan in the making and what do they give me? A maybe. Maybe you rule. Maybe Zeus's baby brat joins the club and ruins everything." Emily felt Hades sit on his bed and held her breath.

Emily could not see much besides Hades's smoky robes floating under the bed. She was relived when Hades lifted himself from the bed to pace about his room.

Hades began thinking. He would need to find a way to stop Hercules permanently. Hades levitated above his lounge couch and settled into the familiar pillows. Something felt different. He couldn't place the feeling exactly and then it hit him.

"Pain! Panic!" Hades raised his voice to a shout.

The minions rushed into his room saluting the death god. "Yes your firey-ness!"

Hades turned around slowly, purposefully allowing his shadow to loom viciously over the two short-stacks. "Who was it?"

"Who?" Panic looked uncertainly between Pain and Hades.

"Who," Hades rose his voice to empasize the word. "took the pillow?" The rest of the sentence floated on the border between patient and annoyed. "See, this is my room," Hades gestured dramatically about the room with his hand shifting into a smoky tendrals to grab both of the minions, "and I know exactly where everything is in my room." Hades looked both of the shaking creatures in the eye and let his control over his temper slip.

Emily clutched the pillow in her hands in a vice grip as she felt the temperature of the room rise. Hades was mad over a missing pillow. She couldn't imagine how mad he would be if she had decided to take one of his brooches. He would probably fly off the handle and burn his own room down to ash.

"Maybe it was a mortal." Panic wispered the words only hoping to get Hades to let go of his now burning flesh.

"Yeah! Mortals are always trying to sneak in the Underworld. Just last week Cerberus ate two of them." Pain tried to pry Hades burning fingers from his head.

"Eureka! Boys, I have an idea." Hades smiled with his jagged teeth poking through his lips. The god motioned for his minions to follow him out from his room. "Boys, we are going to make Hercules mortal."

"How are we going to do that boss?" Those were the last words Emily heard before Hades left the room. Emily rolled out from under the bed to stretch her arms and legs. The button on her shorts had started to dig into her stomach and it was getting uncomfortable to lay on her stomach. She dusted off her shirt to flick away some of the dirt which the fabric had collected from the floor.

—

That night, after Hades returned to his room, Emily could only smell burning tobacco, smoke, and alcohol. Hades spent the entire night smoking cigars, and sipping scotch at his desk. He was humming a dirge as he read through contract after contract, carefully noting loopholes for him to use should events go south and tightening the language of his own contracts to ensure the other party was sure to perform.

Emily was getting sick from the heavy cigar smoke and was torn between vomiting and coughing. Emily buried her head into the pillow hoping to pull away any semblance of clean air from the plush object. She did not begin to truly panic until the hours drew on and still Hades sat smoking and drinking at his desk. It was becoming clear Hades was not planning to go rest any time soon.

Emily's eyes were burning from the smoke and her head ached painfully. She took one shallow breath and exhaled giving an involuntary cough. Her body froze. She heard Hades snap his pen down against the wood of his desk and the swipe of his chair against the hard marble floor.

Her heartbeat rushed. He definitely heard her. Emily closed her eyes thinking Hades might not find her under his bed.

She opened her eyes and did not see the bottom of Hades's chiton anywhere in the room. Was he gone?

"Boo." Hades was on top of his bed peering down at the little mortal. His yellow eyes gleamed in the darkness and his fiery blue hair illuminated rows of sharp teeth.

Emily screamed immediately and tried to scramble out from under the bed in the other direction.

"Woah." Hades sent his hands underneath the bed as smoke tendrils. "Woah." The hands locked onto her ankles and began dragging the girl out from her hiding spot. "Not so fast." His hands were wrapped several times around her as an unbreakable smoke chain. "Babe, introductions please." He was in a better mood than most days. Usually, he would have flambayed first and question the newly acquired soul second. Today he would humor the mortal thief's cleverness at making it this far into his domain and then he would torment the sap until he got bored.

"Huh-hi." She stumbled across her words. "I'm Emily."

"Hi Hades. Lord of the dead. Now explain. Why are you in my room?" Hades made the introduction short. Every mortal knew exactly who he was, what he did, and most importantly what happened if they wandered into his domain. The mortal he was holding was wearing clothes that were immodest for a woman. He wondered if fashions were changing again in the above world. She was showing arms and legs in what looked to be a sown through bottom toga topped with a strange covering for her chest. Her clothes looked bizarre to him.

She just stood there taking in Hades's height, his flaming blue hair, and sharp teeth with growing terror.

"Listen Em, babe, you want to go into my room you better have a good reason to be there." Hades let his arms reform into proper tangible appendages. He lifted his hand to grab at the girl's cheek. He inspected the woman's face and found her more attractive than some of his more eager bedfellows.

"I do. I needed to see you." She swallowed the words carefully. She had no idea what she was saying, but she knew that speaking to Hades directly would buy her some time to figure out the rest.

"Babe, there is only one good reason for a babe like you to be in my room." Hades looked her body up and down with mild interest. He was in the mood for the activity and he would not mind foregoing the usual punishment schitck. "If you're stumped I'd be happy to give you a hint." Hades wriggled his eyebrows suggestively. He was in a good mood and since the proper stimulus was present there was no real point in wasting the opportunity.

"Not interested. Very not interested." The words came out immediately. She barely had enough time to register Hades's shift in temperature before she felt her skin start to sear.

"Watch it!" Hades lost his temper immediately and flared up hot in close range of the mortal. "You need a refresher course on how to properly address a god." He growled out the words and did not bother to consider the consequence of his temper as he grabbed her burned arm to hold her at close proximity.

Emily stared at Hades's hand on her arm in shock. His touch hurt. Dreams never hurt this bad. She was not dreaming. This was real. At the realization she felt a wave of refreshing terror crash through her chest.

"All right, I get it. You are not here for the fun stuff. So, tell me what are you mortals trying to steal from me this time?" Hades was barely able to calm his temper. Always they said no, when they themselves had the audacity to trespass into his realm, his own personal quarters without respect, always whining over the injustice of death.

"Gold, jewels, long-lost loved one's soul?" He started to list the items with a bored expression. He had seen every tale and every turnout. He was sick of sending mortals home from his realm with half-assed happy endings. They came in wanting back their loved ones never knowing just how rotten the guy had been in their lifetime. They yelled, screamed, begged, and he was the bad guy for saying no. In the beginning he used to be polite, go through the motions, but now he just went straight for the fire and smoke.

"I'm not dreaming. Oh, my god. You are real." Emily touched Hades's arm and was shocked to feel warmth.

"My god. I like the sound of that babe." Hades grinned but reconsidered his train of thought. She said no and he might as well hold her to the statement. "But the moods been effectively killed." He rubbed a hand through his flickering blue hair. "I really don't take rejection well. So, I'm just going to throw you into the Tartarus pit for theft, trespass, ecetra, ecetra. " He grinned and pulled the girl up by her burned arm and into one of his arms.

"I did not steal anything from you." She leaned away from the blue flames burning atop his head afraid her hair would catch fire.

"Then where, oh where, did my pillow walk off to?" No one stole from Hades without there being serious consequences on the line. He knew now who took his pillow and although its theft did little to move his temper, he did have an image to keep up.

"Under the bed." She pointed underneath the bed and tried not to squirm in Hades's grip.

"See. First you steal my pillow. Then you steal my gold in my sleep. I'm just saving us the pain of the he said she said routine." He knew the usual schticks. Thieves always denied the theft at first until the evidence piled up and up. She might not have stolen anything today, but she would have if he gave her enough time.

"I was never going to take any of your pretty brooches or that dusty helmet!" Emily held her hands against his arm hoping to stabilize her position as he began moving to exit from his room.

"How do you know about the helmet?" Hades paused. Mortals should not be able to see his helmet.

"I saw it in your closet." She noticed his pause and hoped the change indicated he would put her back onto the floor.

"That helmet cannot be seen by the mortal eye." Hades looked over her form more carefully. Was she a demi-god?

"Well, I'm as mortal as it gets." She relaxed as he put her back onto the ground only to tense as she felt Hades shadow loom over her.

"You do know the only real way to prove it is to die right?" Hades grinned showing off his overly sharp teeth and letting a blue fireball form into his hand.

Emily's eyes went wide and the heat coming from the fire made her brow sweat. "Please don't." She could not die in this world. She needed to say something that would make Hades reconsider.

Hades smiled. "We really could have had a good time. Oh well. See you in the after life." The blue fireball grew larger in his hand.

"Wait! Your plan is going to fail!" She screamed the statement and was relieved when the flame ball shrunk in size.

"Already taken care of that particular detail." Hades tossed the flame ball up and down in his hands casually, but his eyes were narrowed. She could have overheard his conversations and was just blindly grasping at straws.

"What about Hercules?" She tried to get more specific.

"Dead as a doornail." Hades tossed the ball up and down without care. She did not have any information of value. He should just smite the little chit for daring to question a god.

"You sure about that?" The flame ball wavered in his hand for the briefest second.

"What do you mean?" Hades let the flames in his hand dissipate to fold his hands together in contemplation. The imps has taken the brat, made him mortal, and killed the infant. His minions were idiots, but even they knew what death looked like.

"I mean if Hercules is really dead why not check. You know, make sure his soul is in your catalogue." She felt her heart clench as she saw Hades considering her point.

Hades looked her over and placed a hand onto his chin. "You know what, that is not so bad an idea." Hades turned away with his smokey chiton billowing across the floor and opened his trunk to retrieve a crystal ball. "Been awhile since I've done inventory. Usually give the job out to some sap as punishment." His glowing yellow eyes looked over the blonde maliciously.

Hades sat still staring into the crystal with an intense look on his face. The crystal ball began to float into the air and Hades touched his long blue fingers across the surface. "The ball says he's not in stock." Hades began to change shades. His skin tone was creeping towards his infamous red hue.

Emily moved away cautiously. She was not getting burned again.

"I'm going to kill those little twerps!" He went up in flames and the crystal ball melted in his hands and puddled onto the floor.

"I've seen the future Hades. Hercules is still alive and he will defeat you in eighteen years." Emily hoped her statement was enough to get Hades to reconsider throwing her into Tartarus.

"Hercules is alive! I am going to roast those minions alive." Emily knew better than to touch him while he was out of control and red. She waited for his skin to return to its blue hue before touching him lightly across the arm. "A seer huh?" He looked at the hand touching his arm with growing interest. He could use this to his advantage.

"I can tell you how to win. I just need your help getting home. I want to make a deal." Emily held out her hand in hopes that Hades would immediately shake it.

Hades pulled away eyes narrowed at her offer. "New offer. I don't kill you and you tell me everything you know."

"All I'm asking in return for this information is that you help me find a way home. I'm not supposed to be here." She did not dare say where her home was located. He would likely think her insane if she told him he was a beloved children's cartoon character.

"I know. You are clearly not dead. But that I can always change." Hades smiled fiendishly, yellow eyes glowing in the gloomy light.

"Please Hades! I need to get back home and we both know you are the only god smart enough to help me." She could not believe she was resorting to flattery. She clung to the dyed woolen fabric Hades wore. She looked with supplication at the death god and noticed his temperature cooled slightly.

Hades grinned basking in the compliment. He shrugged off the hands entwined in his robes with a shrug. "Hands off." He did not like it when women touched him before they entered into a contract with him. The touches could get distracting and lure him into making a bad deal. "Alright, I will help you get home but you stay here in the Underworld until my plan comes to fruition."

"But that will be in eighteen years!" She was not staying trapped in a movie for eighteen years.

"And?" Hades dared the girl to make another outburst.

"I don't want to go back home as an old lady!" Emily posed her hands at her waste and looked contemptuously at the death god.

"Not my problem." Hades rolled his eyes. Mortals were too touchy about their youth. They all eventually ended up in the same place and he had the unwanted privilege to act as their appointed judge. Mortals all looked about the same in the end.

"Hades! I know you have the power to fix this. I'm not asking for eternal youth. I just want to go back home as soon as possible." She was not coming home well into her forty's. Her apartment and belongings would likely be gone and her family and friends would no longer recognize her.

"My soon as possible is looking to be in another eighteen years." Hades did not care about the qualms of a mortal. He needed to get out of the Underworld. He was done doing everything his little brother stuck him with and getting zero appreciation for his efforts.

"I'm offering to help you. Please Hades." She noticed her outbursts were making Hades less cooperative. She remembered that touching his tunic had made him bend and decided to change tactics. She lightly brushed her hand across his bony fingers, looking him in the eye as her fingers brushed his.

"Alright. Final offer. You tell me everything you know. I get you home. You help me to sucessfully off Hercules you get to go home sooner. Deal?" Hades felt her fingers against his and foolishly enjoyed the contact. He rarely met babes bold enough to touch his persons without fear or revulsion. The contact felt nice and he saw no harm in being slightly more generous with his offer.

"Deal." She clasped his hand and felt the life drain from her. Emily began to choke and cough. The feeling was worse than how the cigar smoke had made her feel.

"Side effects of selling your soul include: dizziness, nausea, vomiting, headache, sudden shortness of breath, and may also include death." Hades smiled at his own joke and held up the girls crumpling form up by their joined hands.

"Death?" Emily barely got the question out before gagging on the surrounding air.

"Don't worry about it. Just hold up your end of the bargain and we won't go there." Hades swished his hand at Emily as though the concept of death was some banal noncommittal event. Hades was pleased to see Emily nod and stay silent.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hades is fun to write. I might do one more chapter after this or possibly two more chapters. I'm hoping to get a little heartbreak and angst into this story and overall just crush any hope I build up with as realistic an ending as possible. I'm hoping to blend together some myths and portray Hades a little more sympathetically but keep him in character. So far this experiments been fun. Let me know what you think.**

—

Emily wondered how the bitterness had crept into Hades's heart. His life could not have started so hollow. She wondered where the turning points were. When she was forced to interact with Hades she carefully spoke of his future plans and future outcomes. She never revealed too much and as a result she remained valuable in his gleaming yellow eyes. He had yet to find the couple raising the infant Hercules, but Emily had no doubt the god would find the child soon enough.

After a month, Hades located the child but refrained from acting. Zeus and Hera's attentions were too focused on the child. However, Hades was a patient god. He could wait to kill the kid once Zeus looked away. He knew his brother's attention span was short lived.

Over the month, Emily realized a distinct fact the stories left unstated. Hades was an excellent ruler. He kept order, quelled grievances between his subjects, and was a more than fair judge of the deceased. The contradiction was disturbing. She expected Hades to torment the souls he held domain over without discretion. Instead, his verdicts were designed to punish the souls by their misdeeds and reward the souls by their good works. He worked endless hours and rested once every seven days.

She quickly understood why his temper was so easily provoked. He rarely took time to sit down and eat or enjoy a moment of respite. In the mornings, Hades signed paperwork; in the afternoons, he judged souls sitting on his throne eating marinated mealworms and pickled eyeballs, and in the nights, he spent hours actively expanding his domain to include more souls, more monsters, and more territory. When he did spend time alone in his chambers, he read over contracts and made inventories of his currently active deals. In an odd way Emily understood why he would not want to be in charge of the Underworld. The dead souls were lifeless and weary, his tasks were thankless, and each day seemed to heighten his spite for Zeus.

She did not know how their routine intertwined, but somehow Hades adapted his schedule to accommodate breakfast and dinner. The routine started a little past the day she insisted on getting supplies from the above ground. She was growing ill from eating the marinated silk pupa and mealworms Hades was so fond of ingesting. Hades originally narrowed his eyes at her request and demanded she return to the Underworld within the day. The timeframe provided was short, but she had time enough to purchase olive oil, dried fruit, nuts, flour, eggs, preserved olives, onions, cheese, honey, and a hearty portion of cured meat from the nearest merchant. The eggs would last longer than a week, but the rest would likely keep from spoiling without refrigeration. She dearly missed her fridge as there was little food in ancient Greece which could remain edible without a large quantity of salt being added to the product.

She returned later than expected and Hades was displeased. He shouted and heated the entire room unbearably with his outburst. She cowered under a table begging Hades to calm. She had been terrified to use his kitchen that night, but her hunger persuaded her to tempt fate. She borrowed a hallway torch which glowed blue with Hades's flames and started a fire in the kitchen hearth. She didn't have milk to make pancakes so she substituted several cuts of cheese to add into the egg and flour batter. She chopped a portion of an onion to carmelize the vegetable in an oiled pan. Eventually, she pulled the pan off the fire and added the cooked onions into a bowl. Then she chopped up a handful of dates and figs and toasted the fruit under the fire. Afterwards, she placed the toasted fruit into a separate bowl. She divided the batter in half and folded the fruit into one part of the batter and the onions into the other. The dish came out as messy but tasty disks.

After eating she noticed there were leftovers. She did not know why she bothered to place the warm disks onto a separate plate as she walked towards the one place Hades insisted he not be disturbed. She reasoned the bravery was in part selfish. She needed to properly apologize for being late. Otherwise, Hades would never again allow her outside the Underworld to grocery shop. The negotiations would require some deference.

She knocked on his door and held her breath. She could feel the temperature rise through the door and steeled herself for his coming rage.

"What!" Hades was partially red in the face, eyebrows aflame.

"I'm sorry for being late." She bowed her head in respect, knowing that even a slight gesture was sufficient to placate Hades's ego.

"You came to interrupt my very tedious work schedule to apologize?" Hades growled trying to keep his temperature cool. Mortals were delicate and he knew a little too much emotion from his end could result in an impromptu barbecue. "What's with the plate?" Hades noticed the plate of food, but did not expect her to make him an offering.

"It's an apology." She knew her hands were impossibly close to shaking and showing she was scared out of her mind. She still had scars from one of Hades's previous temper tantrums. She just hoped he would consider the thought behind the act even if he did not enjoy the taste.

He eyed the dish with a mix of suspicion and surprise. Gods could not be poisoned, but poisons still left a bad taste in the mouth. He was not used to receiving offerings as the sacrifices to his own temple were in scarce supply. The only worshipers who came to his temple were desperate souls with no other options. "What is it?"

"It's basically a pancake." She did not know what else to call the dish. There really was no better description.

"Pan-cake?" He took the plate and inspected the food. He sniffed at the stacked disks and found they did not smell half bad.

"Like bread but from a pan." She motioned her hands in a circle to refer to the shape of the food.

He did not say thank you but accepted the plate nonetheless. "Next time, don't bug me unless it's important."

The words Hades spoke were discouraging but Emily was starting to better understand the god. He was only charming when he needed something, he told jokes when he felt insecure, but when people were kind he built space.

The next morning she made an omelet with olives, cheese, and eggs. She set aside a second portion to carry to Hades's chambers. She knocked on his door and felt the temperature rise again. She stood to the side the door when she noticed the flickers of flames and smoke peaking from outside the bottom of his door.

"This better be important! I just burned through half my contracts!" Hades was now hours behind in work and was going to need to rush through the afternoon verdicts if he wanted to get momentum going on his plan to overthrow Zeus.

"What did I say about not bothering me?" He looked incredulously at the blonde carrying the outstretched plate. The surprise of her presence had shocked him back to his lower temperature.

"It better be important." She repeated exactly what he told her the night before, relieved to see the red flames abate to blue. "And breakfast is the most important meal of the day." The presence of the blue flames on his head gave her enough courage to form the quip.

"What is it this time?" He leant down to inspect this new offering, thin blue lips cracking a smirk with open rows of sharp teeth.

"An omelette." She answered automatically.

He rose an eyebrow and rolled his hand, clearly expecting more information. "Give me more to go on than that, blondy."

"It's eggs, fried with cheese and olives." She listed the ingredients quickly knowing he was more impatient in the mornings. She was determined to build rapport with the cranky god despite his volatile nature and guarantee she never again ate marinated insects.

"Alright, I'll bite. Why are you acting domestic? What do you want? I am not altering our deal for a couple home cooked meals." He pulled away from the offering feeling foolish for accepting the paltry token of last night's meal. He was no schmuck. Women only started buttering up a guy when they wanted something.

"Look. I appreciate you letting me get supplies and paying for them. I am just returning your generosity." She talked circles around the truth, purposely avoiding the fact she hated the alternatives to her current meal plan. The food he allowed her to retrieve from the above world was an important staple of her diet.

"Fine, fine. I get it. You're grateful." Hades rubbed his temples and wiped a hand across the blue flames on his head. "New rules. You bring me the meal same time, every day." He was getting sick of getting his temper sparked over a little tableside service. Besides mortals were supposed to make offerings to him with more regularity than he currently received and the meal yesterday went down the hatch without issue. There was no reason not to take advantage of her gratitude. He was owed that much for supplying the coins to buy the supplies.

The routine developed nicely without much of a hiccup afterwards. Emily brought him breakfast at seven in the morning and dinner at six in the afternoon. In return, Hades allowed her out of the Underworld for half a day to collect supplies twice a month. Occasionally, Hades dictated she make the journey in the company of Pain and Panic and occasionally she made the journey on her own. Traveling through the Underworld was precarious, but Hades directed her to never wander outside of the thin vein-like trails which outlined the Underworld. She heeded his warnings and returned to his domain without issue.

It was on her third return trip that she returned to a tempestuous Hades awaiting her arrival. "What gives? I recall you agreeing to bring me breakfast same time, every day."

She looked over Hades's folded arms and annoyed expression and realized the god likely was not actually upset and just hungry. She was surprised at his approach as she usually skipped the breakfast routine on supply-run days. "No ingredients. No breakfast."

His expression snapped from annoyed to shrewd. "Ingredients." He pointed to the newly purchased sack of supplies. "Breakfast." He vanished into the shadows to reappear directly in front of her body and snapped one pale pointed finger into her chest.

She looked down at his pointed finger prodding into her chest and up at his calculating yellow eyes. She laughed. The sound was an odd thing to her ears. She had not laughed since the start of her stay and she was surprised she retained the ability to find humor in her unfortunate situation. "Coming right up, boss. But, you have to help."

"No can do babe. I'm not the cooking type of god." He was grinning from her suggestion and felt encouraged by her laughter to engage further.

"Not asking you to cook. Just need you to start a fire." She pointed to the hearth as she moved to pull out a pan from a nearby storage chest.

"Done." He snapped his fingers at the hearth and bright blue flames erupted hot and bright in its center. He allowed the flames to burn hotter and brighter than was strictly necessary as he was unable to resist showing off his power. He felt his ego grow as he watched her eyes widen at the roaring flames.

"Take it down a few degrees. I'm cooking breakfast not cremating a body." She was wary of exchanging jokes between the god, but felt it was appropriate as Hades lit the fire so bright solely to acquire a reaction.

Hades chuckled, waving his hand at the hearth lowering the temperature and height of the climbing flames. "Be careful when making requests of gods."

When the eggs cooked completely she immediately pushed his portion onto an available plate and handed him the food. He clearly was awaiting her return with the expectation she feed him as soon as she arrived within his domain.

Hades paused uncharacteristically. He was surprised the mortal had the sense to serve him first. For Greeks, the gesture was a great sign of respect. The head of a household was symbolically served before any other person at the dinner table received their portion. The head always received the best portion of the provided meal. He did not expect the show of respect as mortals were the least respectful of his divinity. Even at Zeus's table he was served well after the other gods of Olympus. Feelings of bitterness mixed insidiously with growing pride and the blue flames within the hearth crackled loudly to echo his sentiments. "Grab the food. Follow me."

Emily was shocked when Hades gestured for her follow him and take the breakfast with her. "Where are we going?" She was carrying both plates, trailing nervously behind the smokey tendrils of Hades's chiton.

"My chambers. I'm a working god, what can I say?" He waved a smokey hand behind his back to indicate she walk closer to his side. He liked looking at facial reactions when he spoke. He hated to feel like he was talking to empty space.

"Why?" She kept her eyes intently focused on the plates. She tried to keep pace with Hades without jostling their meals onto the ground.

"We're both hungry. I eat in my room. You haven't eaten breakfast yet. Do the math." He was gliding across the floors as he paced through his words with the cadence of an auctioneer.

As they entered his chambers, Hades allowed the smoke of his robes to billow low against his marble floors. From the smoke rose an ornately carved black table and one simple chair. Hades gestured for her to set the plates on the table before the god pulled the remaining wisps of smoke to his side to form an elaborate throne for him to rest against. "Better than sitting in some dumpy kitchen, right?"

The question was obviously rhetorical as Hades immediately went to eat with no modicum of decorum. He ate nearly as quickly as he spoke. "Yes, your room is the better place to eat." She noticed her response made Hades slow his pace for a brief moment.

"Thirsty?" Hades made the offer without thinking. He was not expecting her to make conversation. He assumed she would not want to speak with him.

She nodded not knowing what to make of his offer and was too startled to request anything particular. She was surprised at the taste of wine on her tongue as she swallowed the drink he provided. The wine tasted buttery and crisp with a flavor her tongue struggled to name.

Hades mockingly rose his glass towards hers and winked. "This is the good stuff. Trust me. Dionysus doesn't like to share many barrels of his private collection, but after a few drinks you'd be amazed what gets by the drunken sap." He knew there was no real reason to try and impress a mortal, but her appreciation was doing his ego wonders. He could not help himself, it had been centuries since anyone paid him any positive attention.

"This is the best wine I've ever had." Emily would have forced the comment from her mouth if the wine had been of average quality. However, the white wine was without doubt the best she ever tasted. She knew to pace herself, but found no harm in indulging herself with a few more sips. She could handle more than a few glasses of wine without becoming drunk.

He smirked, slurping his cup down in a few gulps. As an immortal he could not get drunk without serious effort, although any drink crafted by Dionysus could intoxicate a mortal after a few sips and a god after a few glasses. "We should do this again." He poured himself a second cup, planning to draw the meal out longer. He wanted to wait for the drink to take effect so he could gather more information from the seer. He would not drink the second cup until after she left his chambers. While a second cup would merely lower some of his inhibitions, Hades knew full well where his drunkenness could lead. If she remained in his proximity he would be tempted to drink to excess. In a stupor he would without doubt exercise the priveledges a lord held over his chattel. However, he was unlike his brothers in many respects.

She felt her mind grow dizzy and was confused. She had not drank more than a few sips of the beverage. "I feel like I'm getting drunk." She blurted the thought aloud carelessly.

"Hello, Dionysus, god of wine, lush extrordinare. Ringing any bells. Of course you're getting drunk." He took a small sip of the second cup purely for show.

"Why aren't you drunk then? You drank way more than I did." She could not help the exclamations coming from her mouth. Her lips were moving too freely.

"Hi Hades. God of the Underworld. Nice to meet ya." He took a second pointed sip to emphisize his following point. "I'm a god. It takes a little more than a glass of wine."

"How much more?" The question exited her mouth as soon as it entered her head.

"Three maybe four glasses if it's brand Dionysus. An entire barrel if it's your mortal swill." He took one last sip savoring the flavor. He could always drink more later.

"I bet you're a fun drunk." She grinned picturing Hades making inane bets with anyone who cared to listen.

The glass in his hand felt heavy. He wanted to drink more. He restrained himself from his inclination. "Trust me. You don't want to go there." He set the glass down onto the table.

"I bet you make lots of bets and win more than your fair share of them." Her words had the perilous quality of a drunkard. She was making small talk on a subject she had no care to know.

Hades gave the blonde woman a smug look. "Maybe." He could not help but encourage the view of him as a victor over the Olympians. In truth, his intoxication around the Olympians resulted in slyly spiteful behavior and his words became shrewdly biting. He stole, manipulated, and cursed without restraint, but he did not make bets unless he was fully sober. He learned his lesson on taking and making bets when he took his first steps outside the stomach of his father.

"Do you cheat Hades?" She was only teasing. She expected he cheated often.

"I'm not the type of god to cheat." He frowned and slugged down the remaining wine pouring himself a third glass. "Do I give myself an unfair advantage? Always." He took a sip of the third cup bitterly remembering how he was originally cheated by Zeus.

Zeus rigged the game from the start. The second dear father coughed up he and Poseidon, Zeus suggested they divide the world in lots. At the time, Hades had been too dizzy from the assault of sensations the new world had to offer to gather his wits. He accepted the stakes of the game and rolled the dice Zeus provided. He never bothered to look closer at the objects handed to him. He only bothered to look at the dice Zeus left behind after the game ended. He won the worst of the lots. He rolled the dice again and again, bitter about his lot. He got the same number every roll. Hades discovered then how deeply his temper affected his body; it was the first time his body glowed red. He burned many holes through the clouds of the unbuilt Olympus. "Now, tell me doll. How do I win against my sweet cloud-headed brother?"

"Well, you're current plan is fucked." She eyed him seriously for a moment and proceeded to giggle.

"What!" The rage and fire blast thankfully pushed up from his head like a volcanoe. The wine was not his best idea. Alcohol made him more flammable than usual. "I'm okay. I'm cool. Promise." He waved his long spider-like hands at her to indicate he could keep himself calm and contained.

Emily felt the fear bubble up quickly. Her bottom lip to quivered and her body shook. She could see how deep the scorch marks scored the top of his ceiling. "Please don't be mad. I'm trying so hard to not make you angry." She was close to tears. Alcohol always made her emotional.

Hades sucked down half of his wine glass. "No crying. I hate the tear gimmicks. I get enough of that from the stiffs in the River Styx." He pushed himself out of his chair not knowing what to do and ended up slapping the blonde on the back with three heavy handed pats.

"Ouch." His pats knocked the wind from her lungs.

"Babe, details. I can take it. See, completely blue." He passed an errant hand through the blue flames on his head to indicate he retained his self-control.

"You lose because you use a mortal woman, Hercules's only weakness, to stop him from fighting. You promise Hercules that the mortal woman will not come to harm during the battle. In exchange Hercules relinquishes his strength. The mortal is harmed during the battle and dies. Hercules gets his strength back, he fights, you lose." She could see Hades first thoughts forming. "Relax. The mortal is not me."

The wine was boiling in his hand. The heat of the drink did not bother him as he drank the remaining liquid. At first, he was angry because he thought she was the mortal she spoke of and then he was enraged she dared suggest he would fail. "Alright, in the interest of full disclosure, you have until the count of ten to get on the other side of that door." He was not sure he would actually make it to ten.

"You said you could take it." She was too drunk to see logic.

The wine and rage was sinking into him too quickly. He had more self control than his younger brothers. He needed an outlet and he was unwilling to use the mortal. "Leave!" He went red in hopes she could see the danger clearly and allowed the burning flames to funnel from the top of his head. The release was not enough.

She stumbled towards the door, heart pumping with adrenaline. Once she got on the otherside of the door she felt burning heat radiate from his blackened door as red flames licked at the bottom of the door. The heat was too intense to stand in close proximity of the door, so she took several steps down the corridor.

When the door reopened, smoke funneled out from his room and caused her to cough.

"Memo to me: do not drink while discussing delicate business details." Hades's eyebrows rose to see blondey lingering in his corridor. He expected her to run back to her room.

"You alright?" She could hardly make out his flames among the smoke.

"A little drunk, a little pissed. Just another day at the office." He waved a clawed hand at the smoke and instantly it circled away from his body.

"I'm going back to my room." She noticed the low glow of red flames atop Hades's head. He was still upset.

He grabbed her hand with a sharp snatch of his claws. He could feel the wine clouding his thoughts. He was burning with anger and arousal. The flames on his head burned a dull red. He was nothing like his brothers but he still wanted to take her. "We will have to do this again. I will see you for dinner." His command was dressed as a suggestion, as though she had any option outside of total obedience.

He let her go and walked away to his awaiting work.


	3. Chapter 3

**I want to thank my new bata Enygmass for editing this chapter! It is super helpful since I take forever to edit and always need another pair of eyes. This is the last chapter to this fanfic so I hope you all enjoy. I wanted to do more with the ending, but honestly I think this is a good stopping point. Lastly, there is sexual content in this chapter, so gird your loins.**

—

Hades and Emily were not exactly close. Neither of the two discussed the details of their pasts. Hades was focused on his future and Emily wanted to go home.

Hades never again served wine. It was a loss. He asked the occasional groping question. The location of her home went only vaguely discussed. He was as uninterested in her life as he was preoccupied with his schemes.

"When are you planning on killing Hercules?" She asked the question carefully, without feeling. It was the sort of question which occasionally went unanswered because it sounded too mundane and the surrounding conversations were far more interesting to the wandering ear.

"Me? No. I'm not that type of god." Hades paused nonchalantly to weigh his answer without looking up from his papers. "I leave those details to my faithful little minions." He did not realistically need to worry about death. He was confident he could remove the child from the board within the decade. Such a small thing required little pomp and circumstance.

"You plan to trust your entire operations to those two?" She squinted incredulously at the two bickering flashes of teal and magenta.

"Why not? They can handle a little homicide." Hades flicked his eyes towards the two imps. The minions stuck their forked tongues out at Emily.

"I am almost positive they can't." She did not mean the words as an insult to the creatures. However, Pain and Panic were not pleased. She cringed as the pink minion tossed a rock in her general direction. The gravel piece pegged her in the forehead.

"How about you sweets?" Hades allowed the minions their slight retribution. The imps could be placed on notice to watch their aim after they knocked out the brat. Although, a seer would be useful in making the mission more predictable. "Want to put a murder on your resume? I'll wipe the ledger clean right after. No consequences guaranteed." Hades was more than capable of altering the record on a flit-a-bye soul. He rarely gave such generous offers as he usually kept the score on an as-is basis. If a soul was commissioned to commit an ill, they still had to pay up in the afterlife. Admittedly, Hades sent the souls doing his work through the wringer on a gentler cycle than most, but he still sent them through.

"I'm not a killer." She shook her head. She might have been in a land where life was just creative consequence, but she was not going to commit infancide.

"You are mortal. Mortals kill and by proportion I have more mortal killers down here than pacifists." Hades gave the prod a minimal level of effort. He was not really interested in using the girl as a sword when she was more of a purse. She had value as a seer and it would be a waste to send her out onto the killing fields when she was being remarkably cooperative.

—-

Hades was growing attached. She could see the fondness in his actions. The development worried her because Hades always won his end game. Although they had a deal, she doubted he was planning to send her home within the year. Already several more months had passed and Hades was no longer biding his time until Zeus looked away. Hades was hesitating. He was drawing their time out and finding more reasons to extend her stay.

Hades's displays of affection terrified her. He was no longer satisfied with sharing their meals. Her first mistake was in grabbing his robes when a soul passed through the air. The dead thing's chilly fingers brushed through her hair and forced her into Hades. After the contact, he bullied her to observe his duties at close proximity under the guise of displeasure. He argued exposure would lessen her fear and give him a more productive minion. She disagreed, vehemently. It was the first time he struck her.

The blow stung her face. He was simmering red and his eyes glowed with rage. She risked everything with the apology.

His color cooled to blue and he drew his thumb across her cheek slowly. "I never chose to surround myself with dead things."

She froze under his touch. Her arm reached up to stroke his forearm but he was too hot and her fingers only grazed his burning skin. "If you need the company, I'll go with you."

He might have eventually returned her home. Now, he did not want to. "If you insist."

—-

The first time he kissed her he nearly took her on the floor. She entered his rooms for dinner and was alarmed to find him slumped at his desk with carved figurines lying strewn about the desktop. She should have left his chambers as soon as she caught scent of the wine on his breath and the tobacco smoke in the air. Instead, she touched his shoulder to catch his attention.

He grabbed her immediately and pushed her into his lap as dim recognition filled his eyes. The bowls dropped to the floor spilling their meals out onto the marble floor.

Emily's eyes followed the mess covering the white tiles. She did not notice his hands pressing her into his lap until she felt them. She sat against Hades, leaning across his chest. Her eyes widened at the intimacy of the position. He tightened his hold when she tried to push him away. She could feel his arousal pressing through the fabric of his chiton. He pushed his lips against her neck and trailed heated kisses down to her collarbone. His teeth nicked her skin and the flesh broke open. She was surprised the blue flames on his head did not burn or char her flesh, but instead licked warmly against her skin. His hands bunched together the fabric of her toga. She felt his sharp claws push into the thin skin of her thighs and force her to press closer against his arousal. He hummed in approval. Emily tried to tell him to stop, but her words were muffled against the shock of the circumstances.

He paused in his kisses to pull her from his lap and onto the floor beneath them. Hades tried to remove the brooch pinning together her toga but instead ripped through the fabric. Both breasts were exposed to his yellow eyes. Hades eagerly removed his own chiton. Her hands moved against his chest to push him away with the dull strikes of her hands. He rocked himself between her legs, pushing the fabric higher over her thighs.

"Please. Don't." The tears were blurring her vision. She was choking on her own words. He was stronger and her motions were not registering because he was too drunk.

He rolled his hips forward. He wanted to feel more. He only paused when her tears wet his skin. "I thought-" Hades felt nauseous. He had too much to drink and was in a vulgar state. She did not want him. He was behaving exactly like his brothers. "I'm not going to-" He loathed his personal folly and wished that she could be held accountable instead.

He was curled into her with the flesh of his manhood pointed between her thighs. She could feel the solid weight of his body against hers. "I know. Just not like this." She trusted him to stop, but knew better than to fully reject the god. If he wanted her, he would have her. If she rejected him, she would be forced to yield.

When he finally stood she was thankful to find his arousal was already deflating. He was not going to rape her. She averted her eyes from his form respectfully and covered her chest with her arms. He dressed himself in silence and returned to where she sat to lay a deep purple dress at her feet. He did not acknowledge her exit.

—

After that night he avoided eye contact during their meals, but continued to encourage their increased proximity. He was beginning to take her above ground on envoys to his temples. His worshippers were few and far between, but their true hallmark was desperation.

Hades often hid amongst the shadows that enveloped his temple listening to the desperate prayers of dying men, mothers holding sick children, and the elderly who were afraid of death. He was not moved by empathy, but by persuasion. Emily spent her time interacting with the few people who bothered to visit Hades's temple. There were few consistent prayer goers but there were some who made Hades frequent monthly offerings.

"Hello Phyllos. What brings you to Hades's temple today?" She knew Hades would be too busy enjoying and numerating the offerings Phyllos and the others gave to care if she made simple conversation. After her less than optimal encounter with Hades inside his bedroom, she was chilled from attempting to make free conversation with the god. The Grecian male was a better substitute. While Hades expressed no further sexual interests in their engagements, she knew better than to test the vengeful god's patience. Hades had a temper which her mortality was unlikely to survive if she chose to provoke him.

"My father is still sick, but I cannot lose hope. Even Hades is not so unmovable." Phyllos was too determined for his own good. He held too much faith. However, Emily knew the consistent offerings were looked upon fondly by Hades.

"So. What did you put on pyre this time?" Emily stared at the man's features while kicking her feet up to rest on the stone steps. Phyllos was blond with dark skin. He was an anomaly amongst the common Greek, who carried the usual traits of olive skin and dark hair. She often stared at his appearance and wondered where he came from.

"A fine sheep and several gold treasures." Phyllos smiled with white uneven teeth.

"Yum. He's going to be thrilled." Emily wrinkled her nose and humored the young male.

"I hope." Phyllos's smile fell for one brief second.

During each visit, Hades took stock of the gold coins and burnt offerings made in his honor, while Emily went to talk with Phyllos. Hades was kept busy collecting all the gold pieces and enjoying the fresh burning meats. Occasionally, he would share his honors with the girl, after he enjoyed the first cuts. The scraps were given to her out of generosity and were primarily symbolic in gesture. She was his living ward and he would share the blood and flesh which had been sacrificed in his honor to demonstrate his personal favor.

"I do not understand. What more can I offer?" Phyllos eyes were watering as he sat upon the marble steps outside of Hades's temple.

She did not mean to comfort him as he wept. She knew better than to hold Phyllos close to her chest as he clung to her dress, but then again, she also did not know Hades was nearby.

The torches inside the temple which glowed blue went red, yet the flames atop Hades's head remained stable without combusting. "Well, just exactly what do we have here?" Hades's voice was high and his smile was filled with rows of pointed teeth. "Making friends?"

Hades walked slowly towards Emily, his eyes trained on the boy's hands. The boy's fingers were entwined in the purple dress Hades had generously gifted the girl. The dress was a luxury purchase he had made specifically for his ward, and the sight of a commoner's hands intermingled with the royal color stoked his ire. "Don't get up on my account." He waved his long fingers nonchalantly, reverting the torches back to their original blue hue. "But really." Smoke billowed from his robes, swirling forward in black wisps. "Really." Blue fire ignited the smoke and spread across the tiled floor. "You should." Hades flicked his hands forward and fanned the flames towards the couple with a small turn of his wrist.

"My lord." Phyllos stood only to bow immediately in the direction of Hades's feet. The firelight illuminated trickling beads of sweat which dripped down Phyllos' brow.

Emily could see the calculation in Hades's yellow eyes. He was in a cruel mood. She knew that too much interference on her part would cause Hades to react volatilely.

"Hades, this is Phyllos. His father is sick, and he's going to get burnt if you don't put this fire out." Emily walked past Phyllos and towards the flames, never once averting her eyes from the god. "He has been the one making you the recent offerings of lamb for the past few months." She could play off the encounter. Hades would be reasonable if she kept her attention focused only on him. She just needed to trust he would put out the flames long enough to allow her to cross. She needed to show she trusted him or Hades would lash out at the boy.

"Oh no. Daddy dearest is going to die." Hades clutched a cold hand into his robes, pretending to have a heart. "Well, you are in the right temple kid. Hades, Lord of the Dead. Death is my business and dying mortals are my specialty." Hades lingered sadistically on the word dying. He watched Emily with suspicion but couldn't help enjoying her focus. He liked taking opportunities to demonstrate his power, so he let the flames bend low enough to allow her a safe but uncomfortable passage. Hades let the flames lick across her skin as she crossed the barrier to caution her impiety and warn her to weigh her next words carefully. The flames were his and there was no real danger her dress would catch fire unless she pushed him into a rage.

"He's a great client. He burns an offering every month." She hedged, never once looking away from Hades.

"Delish." Hades smiled. The guy was building up his frequent temple miles. Hades extinguished the flames circling the boy with a casual flick of his hand. There was no point to shishkababbing the shmuck.

Emily moved to stand at Hades's side with her arm pulling at his shoulder. She pulled at the god to lean into her slight stature and whispered. "Help him. He's made you more offerings than the last ten worshippers put together."

"Alright, alright, already. I get it. The guy is good for business." Hades felt his face pull into a grin. He liked the feeling of her small hands pulling him closer. "It's your lucky day Mr. Phyllo-dough-boy. I'm going to grant your prayer, provided we continue this sacrifice routine once every six months for as long as your dying daddy remains in the land of the living. Deal?" Hades outstretched his blue hand.

Phyllos only hesitated for one brief blinking second. "Yes. Thank you my lord." He agreed slowly and kissed Hades's long blue fingers. Phyllos turned from Hades to look at Emily with warm eyes. "Thank you Emily." Emily looked at Phyllos and away from Hades.

Hades noticed her attention divert to the boy and the god felt affronted by the neglect. "Exactly why are you two on a first name basis?" Hades paused and touched his fingers to his chin.

"Hades. Just let it go." She could see the cruel thoughts bubbling beneath his sallow skin. She knew Hades was capable of a great depth of harm.

"How long have you known Emily?" Hades spoke her name with a twisted sneer. He hunched his tall figure towards the boy and waited for an answer.

"Several months my lord." Phyllos dared not show disrespect to the god. Phyllos came to the temple for his father. The god gave his blessing and Phyllos would not be ungracious.

"Cute. I'm adding a liquidated damages clause." Hades snapped his fingers and the room went dark. "If you make a late payment or talk to my ward even once, then you and daddy get to share headstones. Capeice?" His words reverberated across the marble walls of the dilapidated temple as the god evaporated into the darkness.

"Hades!" Emily rushed towards the shifting shadows and was pulled inside the blackness. She was not able to keep pace and could only follow the faint glow of blue.

Hades appeared behind her. The smoke from his robes floated in bloated clouds around her body. "What was that about?" She tried to raise her body to his tall stature but was cowed to shrink back to the balls of her feet. Hades was a large man and she could not hold her position within his presence.

"Do you think I'm some sap?" He placed both hands onto her shoulders and pressed her closer into the ground to demonstrate his strength. "I have been tiptoeing around you since our little wine night and believe me, I have been more than patient." Hades grounded out the words in a fast and frenzied tempo. "I let you play it chaste. But, I see you've recovered very nicely. With some help." Hades dropped his hands to pull her further into the emptying corridor.

The patrons were rushing away now that the god's presence was made known. No Greek wished to make an early encounter with the deity for fear he might take the worshipper into the Underworld well before their time.

"Hades, please. You've been here with me." Emily moved further into the darkness using Hades's natural blue light to guide her steps. "This is your temple. Why would I ever disrespect you here?" She was afraid to touch his robes. If she placed her hands on him, he would surely expect her to prove her sincerity.

"Hades please." His voice went high to mimic hers. "You think I haven't heard that one before?" Hades scowled and looked down at the woman. He needed to stick to the end game. She was just a mortal and there was no reason to get emotional. This was about retirement and ruling the cosmos.

"I have not been disloyal. You know this." She touched his back and ran her cool fingers across his spine. He felt hot and she knew this meant he was suppressing an outburst.

"Do not." He was still blue but close to eruption. "Toy with me." He ripped her hand away and held it menacingly in his palm. He dared her to pull away. He dared her to run from him. He wanted a reason to reveal his true nature. He desired to correct the mortal's trespass and felt compelled to hold her close as he burned.

"I'm not. You own my soul." She did not dare pull her hand out of his grip. His forceful grip was a clear warning to keep her hand locked with his. "I'm just as interested in your success as you are mine. I would not reject a god for the benefit of another mortal." She put her other hand deliberately on his chest. She chose to submit and allow him to advance. The decision would be the one thing which stood a chance of distracting Hades from his personal ruthless attributes.

"Come here. So? You want me?" Hades would not mince words. He would not have her beneath him unless she was willing. He would not allow himself to become overly affectionate until she made her intentions clear. He hated making bad investments.

"Yes." She knew there was only one way to prevent Hades from persecuting the boy or causing her personal grief.

"And you're not just saying that because I might give your future snookums leprosy?" He lifted her up to stand in the crook of his arm.

"No." She leaned into his hold and held his eye contact. If she looked away Hades would without a doubt kill Phyllos out of spite.

"So, you wouldn't mind me leaving Mr. Dead-dad as is?" Hades was bluffing. He never revoked his deals, but he needed to know she was sincere.

"Hades, I do mind. He is one of your temple's best customers. He has burned an offering to you twice a month over the last six months. But if you need to punish him to feel secure I won't protest." She put her hand on his lower back and rested her head against his chest. She held him and heard his pulse increase.

"You know what would help me feel secure doll? I mean just all together cozy with the situation?" Hades pushed her away lightly. He gazed into her eyes with a dangerous look.

"What?" Emily knew exactly what Hades would need to feel secure.

"Why don't you and me take some alone time together. A little siesta without the clothes." He wanted her with no strings attached.

"Can we go somewhere private? I don't want an audience." Emily knew what sex was and what it required. She could commit to such a little thing with Hades.

"Lady's choice." Hades pulled her deliberately against his front. He let her feel him, so she would know exactly what he expected.

"I want to go home." Emily leaned forward to whisper the words into his ears half afraid the flames on his head would scald her skin.

With a snap of his blue fingers they were inside his chambers. Hades grinned showing every sharp pointed tooth in his smile. "Want a drink?" Hades plucked a martini glass from the air and slurped at a worm attempting to wriggle over the top of the glass.

She scrunched her nose to indicate she did not want a worm-tini. "Not interested." She watched Hades shrug his shoulders and finish the cocktail in a gulp and a half.

"So, how do you want to do this?" She asked the question in a breath and stripped her clothes without preamble. She did not bother to look in his direction as she moved to sit on his bed.

"Wow. You look hot." He licked his fingers and let them sizzle in the air. He used the motion to detract from his growing unease. He felt overdressed and overheated gazing at her nude form. He assumed she would back down the second they entered the room and was surprised she was following through.

"So. Missionary?" She wanted to get the logistics out of the way, so that the act could be done quickly. She was already ruining a significant portion of her childhood.

"Wrong god. I, my little bosom buddy, am Greek." He approached the bed and ran an open palm against her breast. "I prefer variety." He leaned down and pressed his sharp nose into her soft-button nose. He meant the gesture to be sweet, but it turned into an unfortunate leer.

"I'm not fucking a swan." She remembered the myth vaguely and was not interested in exploring whether or not the story held any truth.

"Woah. Woah. Firstly, not my gimmick. Secondly, I would keep mentions of my brother to a never in the bedroom." He raised his hands to head and pushed his fingers into his pointed ears. He did not want to hear about Zeusy's conquests while he was in the middle of sealing the deal with his new chick-a-dee. After looking up once to indicate the conversation was finished, he moved his hand to casually pull at the skull brooch pinning the smoky fabric of his chiton in place. The chiton dropped to the ground. Hades brushed his fingers across his manhood to harden himself completely.

"You ready?" He pressed himself between her thighs. He would have enjoyed taking the seduction farther by kissing her neck and fondling her curves, but he understood she was not interested in drawing the experience out.

"As I'll ever be." She laid out on her back and pulled the god forward to cover her body completely. She felt his weight settle over her and realized he was trying to be considerate by bracing a portion of his weight against the bed.

He waited for one single line of protest before shoving forward. He would give her the single opportunity to reject his advances. He was not giving out second chances after-the-fact.

His pace was slow and deliberate. Her hands pulled across his skin and reached for places he was shocked she knew to touch. He enjoyed the touches but felt a nerve strike. He was obviously not her first and she was likely touching him the same way she touched others. He pushed her hands away and held them above her head.

He came deliberately within her walls. He wanted to bind her to the Underworld. If she came to be with child, she would require a father to provide security. No suckling babe survived long in Greece without its father. Then she would nullify the contract on her own volition.

Months had passed and she remained barren. Hades was curious as to how she accomplished the feat. His kind were fertile and very few women escaped a full encounter without result. He knew his seed was inside her and yet he was puzzled as to why it was failing to take root.

"Hey babe, personal question." Hades gave a cough as his large frame filled the kitchen.

"Yeah?" Emily barely looked up from her task of cutting the onions lengthwise.

"Are you barren? Not that it's a deal breaker. But I do know a gal who could fix that particular situation." He gestured to her abdomen with a quick uncomfortable movement. Aphrodite would love the opportunity to loft her abilities in his domain and establish a personal debt.

"It's not a problem for me. I can have kids when I want them." The question startled her. She was not entirely certain the statement was in fact true, but imagined it was highly improbable she was barren.

"When you want them?" Hades felt his brows furrow and his nose twitch.

"I don't want kids yet. So, I won't have kids yet." She tried to think ahead of Hades. She was not sure how to explain modern birth control to an ancient deity.

Hades snorted "Hate to break it to you, but at the rate we are going. I'd say you are going to want kids sooner rather than later." Hades made the joke quickly and rolled his eyes over her features to gage a reaction.

"Nope. Not going to happen because it can't." She smiled and shook her head, failing to understand that Hades wanted children.

"Why not?" Hades felt his lip curl. He was more than capable of providing the materials. He knew there were no issues on his end.

"Birth control." She almost laughed at the sour blue expression on his face, but held the sound inside her throat.

"What's that?" Hades wracked his brain, but found no knowledge to match her statement.

"In my home country, women use birth control so they don't have kids until they are older." She hoped the answer was sufficient. She was becoming uncomfortable with the line of questioning.

"Older than you?" Hades was shocked. She was pretty old to be without a husband and much too old to be without child.

"Much older. And to accomplish the no kids thing they have another thing put up there." She patted her abdomen. "And wham, bam, no thank you mam, it kills all your..." She paused not knowing exactly what to call the gook Hades crammed inside her. "Well you know. The guy stuff. It kills that."

He tried to shake off the information. He did not like kids anyways. "Take it out." However, he wanted her to stay.

"No." She should have considered her words more carefully.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but who is the guy who holds the one chance you have to leave? Get you home safe and sound?" Hades tilted his head back and forth while listening to his words and trying to control his actions.

"Hades, I-" She was interrupted by Hades's whiplash comments.

"Yep!" Hades snapped his fingers as if he just remembered where he placed his keys. "That's the guy. Oh. Wait no." He paused and his voice dipped. "That's the god." Hades was a divine being. He was not some guy who a girl started and then ended things with on a whim. He would not allow her the option.

"Hades, I'm not having kids." She started slowly, using reason. The words only glanced over Hades's slumped shoulders.

"Why not?" Hades frowned and his sharp teeth gripped against his inner lips without cutting the flesh.

"What do you actually want?" She tried a different approach. There was no safe way of telling a man that their offspring were unwelcome.

"I want you to stay here." Hades grasped at his nonexistent hair and traced his long fingers through the blue flames atop his skull.

"I am staying here." She twisted her head to the side and thought slowly. She was staying in the Underworld and she was not able to leave freely without his permission. She was at his mercy and there was no reason for him to to tempt her stay further.

"Sure, you are now. But, I want you here permanently." He hedged into the conversation with a small hope the girl would react carefully.

"We already made our deal." She struck a deal with the devil once. She was not amending the contract because the villain felt lonely. "I get to go home and you take me there. That's the deal Hades." She stared at him with a neutral expression.

Hades took a breath and held the air in his hot lungs. "Well, at least I have my consolation prize." He growled and pulled her into his side.

She was pushed into his dark bedroom and the argument ended. She exited his bed with several burn marks on her arms and his drying seed spilled out across her stomach. He left the bed without comment and she cleaned herself with a wet sponge.

Over the weeks their arguments increased in frequency along with her bruises from the rough nature of their engagements.

Eventually, the arguments ended and her incidental injuries started to become less frequent when Hades discovered a loophole in their agreement. She grew suspicious at the gentling of his touch. Hades was not a nice guy—at least not without having reason.

"Alright, I'll bite. Why are you being nice?" Emily rolled over onto her side not bothering to cover herself with the sheet which concealed their lower parts. She scrutinized Hades expression which was currently fixated with her uncovered bosoms.

"I'm always nice to you." Hades stretched his arms behind his head and rolled his shoulders backwards into the bed. "Well, I'm nicer to you than the boys." Hades turned into his side and reached a long arm forward to caress her sides, inching his fingers towards her breasts.

"I haven't had burn marks in weeks." She made the statement cautiously. The last time she mentioned the burn marks Hades demonstrated the difference between unintended, incidental first degree burns and willful, premeditated second degree burns. The blisters took weeks to heal and oozed watery pus when the skin finally broke open.

"I am in a much better mood." He hummed and cupped her breasts. He would never apologize for his treatment of the woman, but he felt remorse for some of the wounds he caused. He knew his burns were very painful for mortals to endure. He recognized the danger her injuries presented as her kind were more susceptible to disease when injured. He was thankful she continued to accept his touch despite his temper.

Still, she should have welcomed his offer to make her a permanent addition to his lifestyle. The girl was at fault for thinking she could rebuff the affections of a god without incident. He groaned as he felt his temperature increase and the girl's entire frame stiffen. She was getting much better at reading his emotions. "Relax babe. I'm calm." He kissed her cheek in hopes of smoothing away some of the tension.

"Why are you in a better mood? Did the minions kill Hercules?" She regretted the question instantly as she felt Hades's palms go hot against her breasts. She winced, and he immediately retracted his palms.

"Ugh. Babe." His body was reacting to his rage by warming his skin into a burning flush. He did not like having to remove his hands from her body when all he wanted to do was fondle. "When you are in my bed, mentioning the little sunspot is not a great idea." He blew out a breath and tried to focus on other thoughts. He pulled the covers down completely to look at her naked body. The view successfully distracted him.

"I am in a better mood because I've decided to enjoy your time here for as long as it lasts." His grin was sly and his yellow eyes were narrowed in satisfaction. He would send her home and she would find herself back in the Underworld. Home is, after all, just a place where one permanently resides.

—

When the boy died, Zeus demanded all illnesses which were lethal to children were to be removed from Greece. Hades wished to fight his brother on the issue, but understood there would be little point. His brother was consumed with grief and Hades felt overwhelmed by his brother's growing edicts. Hades's authority over his own domain was constantly being restricted. Overpopulation was a one way concern and Zeus would not understand such logistics. Humans bred rapidly and increased population in the above world would adversely affect his domain as inconsistencies in soul intake affected his schedule. He was always working and his tasks never ended.

Hercules died at three years of age. The boy was mortal and vulnerable to illness. Hades personally approved the disease for entry into Greece and the unplanned infection came as a surprise to the death god. The opportunity was capitalized upon and the cure was moved to an abandoned island. The illness was largely innocuous in older individuals but lethal to the younger mortals. Zeus did not think his boy's malady was serious as his son shared the god's noble bloodline and Hades dared not offer any warning.

Hades rubbed at his eyes and moved towards Emily. He was exhausted from his trip to Olympus and had put off the inevitable for far too long. Her deal was coming due. "Alright. A deals a deal. Ready to go home?"

She moved towards the god with slight steps, knowing that her eagerness would rile the lord's temper. "Yes."

Hades sighed. She was not going to be happy with him. "I, Hades, son of Chronos, send Emily, daughter of the land of California, home. With this blessing I fulfill my end of the bargain." He touched his hand to the floor and watched his fire create a circle. "So, just step through the flames and when you reach the other side you will be home." He frowned.

"It's not like we won't see each other again. I have to die sometime." She touched his shoulder and gave his cheek an obligatory peck. She doubted she would see the god in the afterlife. He lacked jurisdiction over the souls in her world.

"Then I hope to see you soon." He nearly laughed as he watched the color drain from her face and her smile become uneasy.

"Goodbye, Hades." She stepped through the flames and began walking to the other side. When she reached the edge of the flames she walked into something solid. When she looked up, she saw Hades grinning wildly.

"Wow. That was sooner rather than later." He grinned showing every single pointy tooth in his mouth.

"What?" She blinked slowly. She was not back in her world.

"Surprised to see me?" Hades leaned down and pressed a meaningful kiss to her cheek.

"Did I die?" She stared blankly and touched her hands together. She did not feel dead.

"If only I'd be so lucky. No doll, you are not another of the million of stiffs I share my living space with." Hades laughed loudly and smiled. She was taking the news well. He knew she was in shock, but he was relieved she was not yelling at him.

"Why am I still here Hades?" Emily stepped closely to Hades. Her question was followed by a careful intake of breath.

"Our original deal was that I send you home. But guess what?" He started the explanation in a rush, talking over his words at the pace of an auctioneer. "We never went in depth over those oh so crucial details." He tilted his head and splayed his hands open. "Your home was once in California, but now you currently live and reside in my lovely Underworld." He pointed triumphantly at Emily and gestured back to the Underworld.

"This is not my home Hades." Her mouth was hanging open and the words fell out in a pile.

"Yeah. You see, it is. You called the Underworld your home and now it is. " Hades tapped her jaw closed with a soft touch. The words were her own and the consequences were his boon.

"When? I never said the Underworld was my home." Emily pushed his arms away and shouted.

"See, one of the great things about being immortal is that my memories never gets fuzzy. Do you remember our first time?" Hades leaned away. At least they were finally to the customary hysterics. "Do you remember asking me to take you home to the Underworld because you didn't want an audience watching me screw you into the marble floor of my temple?" He did not choose his words with any delicacy because he wanted to shock her into coherence. He wanted to remind her that she seduced him.

She turned away from him and he floated in front of her using his hands to walk across the air. He pulled her eyes away from the ground by pushing her chin up with a heavy handed grip. "Don't be bitter. Trust me, that floor is rough on the back. You were better off on the bed." He had, in darker times, taken a worshipper or two inside his temple in exchange for his usual types of deals. He personally preferred the bed, but his worshippers were not keen on making the trip into the Underworld. Mortals had such fickle trust.

"I get it. The Underworld is not exactly a perfect home for living mortals, but I can be reasonable." He swirled away from her to stand upright and hold his hands above his head and shrug. "I'm even willing to let you add your personal womanly touches to my bedchambers." He formed a bouquet in his hands and cringed when the flowers caught fire in his hands. "Whoa." He threw the dead flowers behind his back and pulled out a brooch. "I can make you very comfortable here." He pinned the jewel encrusted object to her dress and tried to smile largely as her eyes widened.

"You cheated me." She spat the words to the ground. He cheated her just to keep getting his rocks off. Hades made bad deals, but she trusted him to be fair. She trusted he wouldn't screw her over.

"Look. I get that you're upset but let's choose those words a little more carefully." Hades tried not to take the attack personally. Mortals had no idea what it felt like to be cheated. He sometimes wished their lifespans were as long as his. Then they might find that the almighty Zeus was not such a stand-up guy.

"I'm never going to see my friends or family again thanks to you." She plowed forward. He deserved to know how his selfish actions affected her.

"You want to visit the fam and friends. Sure. No problem." Hades steepled his long fingers against his lips. "I just need an assurance that you are coming back here. I'm not an unreasonable guy." Hades moved through a cloud of smoke and appeared behind her to touch her hair. "I can accommodate your needs if you are willing to accommodate mine." His lips curled forward and pressed possessively against the blond locks threaded within his clasp.

"My home isn't even in this time. Hell, it's not even in this universe. I don't think I can head back over here once I do leave." She blanched at his touch. She knew he was picturing a lewd scenario and hoping she would submit. He would want to celebrate his conquests.

"Not in this time or this cosmos?" He laughed feeling only slightly wounded. "You can tell me where you live. I won't throw a plague across the borders. I'm not that capricious." He knew the stories mortals told. He was not so petty as to take a girl's family and friends into the afterlife early just to soothe his worries. Especially, since such sentiments were more useful for leveraging her return. "Just tell me where the place is on a map and I'll send you over for a quick round trip visit. I'll even let you ride shotgun in the chariot." He hoped to entice her by offering her his services as an escort. Riding in a god's personal chariot was a high honor and he was already offering her so much more. He understood wanting to get out of the Underworld; he could relate. He just needed another person to spend his time with that was not a low thinking minion.

"Just look." She pulled a small metal object from her pocket and pressed a button and watched light emanate brightly from the object. She pushed the bright item into the god's hands.

"What's this?" Hades touched the screen of the phone and watched the item open to an app filled with words. It appeared to be a light illuminated book.

"A phone. Never leave home without it." She sighed and let Hades's clever mind come to the appropriate conclusion.

"Oh." He felt a small bubble of guilt burst. He couldn't send her back. He could never trust her to return.

"I'm not from around here and I want to go back to my real home Hades." She moved to touch his arm and hoped the supplication would work in her favor.

"Well, I want to rule the cosmos and I want my little prize to sit up close and personal with me in the front row seats as I seize Olympus." Hades threw his hands up and outside her reach. He needed to remain unaffected by his fond feelings.

"Let me go." She stared into his yellow eyes without looking away. He needed to do the right thing.

"Hmmm. Nope. No can do sweets." He floated across the floor and into his throne. "You are stuck here, with me, for the rest of eternity." He clapped his hands forward and materialized a cigar from a puff of smoke. "I'll give you your moment to collect yourself now, but by tonight I expect you in my chambers and I expect a return to routine." He lit the cigar and gestured to the doors, watching them open in response to his will. He would not take her tonight, but he would demand her company.

—-

She ran at the first opportunity. She ran from Hades the instant he brought her to his temple. The sky was dark and the earth was wet with rain. Her sandals struck the muddy earth with heavy thuds. She never looked back as she fled. Hades was years away from his siege of Olympus, and he was clearly not ever sending her back. He had found a workaround their bargain and she would not stay to exchange congratulations.

Hades sat in his temple and waited. He knew already that she had run, but he decided to wait. He would search for her later. His hands were red and he was aglow with rage as he burned through his temple's floor. He was too angry and if he encountered the girl now he would only scar the mortal permanently. He needed to wait for his head to clear and then she would be brought home.


End file.
